This was our most unique room experience to date! I can officially say we are now spoiled and will have a hard time staying in a regular sized room in the future. The best part was, it's not a suite, so you don't have to pay suite prices! ;) Sure, suite perks would be nice, but this was a great alternative.

A Spacious Promenade View room on the Independence of the Seas is the same amount of space as two promenade rooms and sleeps up to six people comfortably.

7307 Location

​The room was located on deck 7. It was a reasonable distance from the aft elevators & stairs. To the right of the room was a crew stairwell. To the left, another Promenade View room.

We were across from the Promenade Cafe. Just off to the right was the entertainer's stage. We were able to watch some of the parades and bands with a great view! One night they even waved right to us.

Highlights of this room include:

A large walk-in-closet. It was so large that we were able to put the pack n play in there for our almost-two year old son to sleep. We also used the drawers and shelves for our clothes.

Bunk beds in their own enclave. The bunk space had a curtain for privacy, a cabinet for clothing storage, and a small side-table. This small area was located just to the left when you walk in the door. There is enough space to stand in there and move about a little. I frequently used it as a changing area when the family had our windows wide open.

Three sofa spaces. Two of which were in the bow windows overlooking the promenade, and the third was across from the bed on the opposite wall. This made for a great room to hang out during kid's naps.

Storage space galore! In addition to the walk in closet there was the small cabinet in the bunk room, a large cabinet next to the third sofa, and small cabinet/drawer set between the third sofa and one of the window-seat sofas. A bed table on either side of the main bed had a small drawer and open storage space below. Plus some storage under the desk and on either side of the mirror.

Full-sized bathtub and shower. The bathroom was also a tad bit larger than a standard cruise ship bathroom. Both my kids fit in the tub at the same time with plenty of extra room.

​Large curtain that divides the bed area from the living area. We were able to close off a section of the room in the day to allow for one person to sleep and another to watch TV (it swiveled to face either the bed or third sofa).

*There was a single drawback in our opinion. We could hear the bass from the music on the Promenade throughout the evening. The toddler slept in the closet, so the noise didn't bother him. My five year old was so tired from having fun that he didn't flinch in the bunk room. My husband doesn't hear well, and so I was the only one who really noticed it. I was still able to sleep comfortably. However if you're a light sleeper it could be a problem for you.

To view the images larger and with captions, select an image and then scroll through.

On our next cruise we will review and share our experience with a Central Park View room on the Symphony of the Seas. Stay tuned for that one coming at you early summer 2019.

We sailed on the Independence of the Seas from December 6-10th, 2018. Here are all the daily planner sheets for the Adventure Ocean and Nursery programs. The sheets that they gave us were dated wrong, but the day by day (day 1, 2, and so on) info was correct.A few things to note:

​Adventure Dining was offered on Nights 2 and 3 only.

They initially allotted 8 hours to each family for the nursery. In the afternoon of Day 2 they opened it up to sign up for additional hours. They were easy and flexible to work with when wanting additional hours. There were reportedly 75 children between the ages of 6months and 3 years on the sailing.

Many of the evening family activities were offered at 5:15pm. Early dining was at 5:30pm. Making nearly impossible to do any of the organized family activities on this trip.​

​

Royal Babies and Tots Nursery

Adventure Ocean Daily Planners

Port Orleans French Quarter is in the New Orleans motif. Hence the French Quarter name. I wouldn't call the decor elegant, but the theming is cute and appropriate. It was fun and enjoyable to look around the property. In 2016, when we visited, the main building was undergoing a remodel. So some of the photo sets are not complete. Overall I prefer this side of the Port Orleans pair over the Riverside half out of sheer convenience. My husband and I stayed in the Riverside section a year and a half prior and it definitely has more as far as recreation activities. FQ is smaller, so your room will most likely be closer to the main building. This half of the resort also has the kids' splash pad and slide feature. When staying at either Port Orleans resort you have access to the other's amenities. We had dinner at the Riverside food court one night because we liked a few options over there better than the limited menu at FQ because of construction. We found this to be a great Moderate Disney resort, good food, and beautiful grounds.

Rooms

We lucked out and ended up with a room in building five. This is the building directly next to the food court and lobby and also next to the pool. Maybe it was the fact that I was 6 months pregnant and they took pity on me? We encountered a lot of "good luck" mixed with some not so good on this trip. (It poured during our Not So Scary Halloween Party). I think much of our good luck came from my awesomely protruding belly! We were on the second floor, which was nice because we could look out the window and see some of the pool area and resort. The room had typical moderate resort amenities including an ironing board, coffee maker with Joffrey's Coffee, curved shower bar (yay, for no sticky curtain) and more. We didn't have any noise issues during our stay even though we were right near all the action!

Playground

My son spent some time checking it out and playing on it during our stay. He gave it two thumbs up! I, on the other hand, found it a bit hot. The benches weren't in shady areas and I kept moving around to be in the shade. I like that they had a large open area surrounding the equipment. Kids love to run around on playgrounds, by providing a wide open space they are less likely to clobber in to each other or the apparatus!

Pool & Aquatic Play Area

We actually spent a decent amount of time here on this trip. My son was 3.5 at the time and he loved the waterslide. I am not exaggerating when I say he went down it at least 100 times during our 3 night stay. He liked it so much that he took no interest in the splash pad area with sprayers and smaller slides. There was no height requirement for the big slide. Minimum heights have been an issue for us as my son is on the short side. Since this trip occurred, he's never been allowed on a water slide on a single cruise or hotel since. FYI, I am writing this two years after this trip occurred. That's what happens when you have a busy life with two kids! The one I was pregnant with on this trip is about to turn two. I am sure you can relate if you've made it this far through my blog. The pool itself was spacious. It could handle a fairly large crowd and probably still feel comfortable. We stay from a Sunday to a Wednesday, in the fall, so crowds were at a minimum for us. As Floridians the pool was slightly chilly in our opinion, but still comfortable once you were in. I'm sure northerners found it just fine or possibly warm.

Sassagoula River Cruise

One perk of the Port Orleans resort pair is the Ferry boat that picks up and drops off at Disney Springs. Each Port Orleans resort has a dock of it's own. The trip between Disney Springs and Port Orleans is 20 minutes give or take. It depends if you board at French Quarter or Riverside. Trips run from 10am to 11:30pm daily. The best part is, it's FREE!

A unique feature about the Seaside is that there is a different stage show each evening of the cruise. Yes, SEVEN different shows. They are only 30-45 minutes in length, so nothing that should concern you as far as missing other events or feeling too tied up when going to see one. They also schedule three shows per night, so everyone gets a chance to see them. One word of warning, the descriptions online and within the app put out by MSC are not accurate nor descriptive of the actual show. There is very little dialogue due to the high rate of international passengers. There is singing, in various languages, but you don't always need words to be part of a good story.

Stage Shows

The Dream- It seems like this name changed from when they released the show list to when we sailed in mid-March. I believe this one is now called The Dream. It was rather interesting. A smorgasbord of things, themes, and stunts. From Roller skating tricks to pole dancing (don't worry, she kept her clothes on), to phallic camels. (see below). It was, definitely, entertaining, I laughed so hard I cried at one point. The performers are talented. Strong voices, athletic dancers and performers, and great talent.

My Life in Music- Describes itself as famous soundtracks live on stage. I took that to mean pop music. I was incorrect. It was famous operas. I have a funny, personal, story with this one. We brought the baby with us because we gave him a night off from the nursery. The show began, and I immediately wasn't interested in watching. Just not my style. The baby was on my husband's lap and threw up. My husband turned to me and told me. My mind immediately thought, Great! an excuse to leave! So I turned to our friends and told them we were leaving because the baby got sick. She immediately said, "Oh we should go help you!" I guess she probably thought the same thing as me. Thanks, baby for letting us leave the show early! ;)

Frank Forever- Frank Sinatra tribute. We did not attend this one as it played on the first night. The most common feedback was that it was Frank Sinatra with Italian accents.

Fly- based on the Madame Butterfly Opera. We did not see this one.

The Wizard- An illusion show. Another one we missed due to dinner timing and availability of show times on that particular night.

Latin Planet- A mix of different Latin dances. We did not make it to this one.

Timeless- Michael Jackson tribute. We also missed this one, sadly, as it was one that I wanted to see and get's great reviews.

Peter Punk- A new rendition of Peter Pan with acrobatics, dancing, and more. This is a show that everyone was raving about. Sadly, it was on the final evening of our cruise, and we had to pack and get things together for our departure.

The Seaside has multiple pools. Some are restricted, like the Yacht Club pool is only for Yacht Club guests, and the South Beach pool is adults only. But the Miami Beach pool & Jungle pool are open to all guests. They are all nearly 6 feet deep, so don't plan on standing around in them! Some have a small shelf for kids to stand and others to sit/lay. Remember to click on the photos to enlarge them. Overall I was happy with the pool & slide experience on this cruise.

Waterfall at the Miami Beach Pool

Miami Beach Pool

I would consider this the "main pool" onboard. Located on deck 16 aft, this is the one with the big screen near it. It's where the pool deck events happen. It has the most space with lounge chairs. It was also, unfortunately, poorly designed. There was a large round stage-like thing between the pool and the big screen. So it blocked the line of vision for anyone seated on the pool side. I don't know if they intended on using that for a stage or what... In reality, the cruise staff used the small rectangular stage beneath the big screen for hosted events. These lounge chairs are usually "claimed" before the sun comes up. MSC doesn't have a policy or enforcement on reserving chairs on the deck. So, a lot of people lay out their stuff at the crack of dawn and then come back after they have breakfast.

South Beach Pool

The South Beach pool is on deck six aft. This is an adults only location. I've included a photo of the pool deck as well as the view up from there. The Aft Aurea Suites overlook this pool. Some people refer to these rooms as the "condo suites." The aft Infinity Bridge, The Bridge of Sighs, also overlooks this pool. The pool is surrounded by tables, chairs, and the Venchi creperie & of course more gelato. We did not frequent here because he had children in tow.

Jungle Pool

This pool is what I would call the family pool. There were more kids in this one than the Miami Beach pool. I think because of it's proximity to the Forest AquaVenture Park and it having the magrodome (sliding roof) that was closed on a few occasions to beat the hot sun. This pool also has game tables like ping pong and foosball. Funky seating elements made it attractive to families who wanted to seek shade and still have fun in a pool. We did not use this pool either but walked through here numerous times. There is a bar and gelato location in here too!

Forest Aquaventure Park

This is the water park, with four full-sized slides. My five-year-old was excited because he was finally tall enough to ride the slides! The minimum height for the double blue slides and the brown slide is 40". He's 41". The minimum for the Slideboarding one was 42". An interesting note... The KIDS water slide on the Harmony of the Seas had a minimum of 42," and that one is pretty tame when you compare it to the slides on the Seaside, which were like authentic water park slides. In the center of the park was a small pool with sprayers, waterfalls, and a giant dump bucket! Can't forget about the mini slide for the little ones. The Forest Aquaventure park was a lot of fun, and my family frequented here on every sea day. Surprisingly, it never felt too crowded, and the lines for the slides were very reasonable!

Baby & Toddler Playground

Directly next to the Aqua Venture park was a covered and enclosed area meant for toddlers and babies to play in. The apparatus were similar to those you'd find in your local mall's play area. Soft- plastic coated slides and animals to climb on. We used this for our little one a few times. It was very well shaded, with windows on one side so that it didn't feel claustrophobic. Occasionally a tween would come in thinking it was a place they could act wild, but the parents watching their little ones would quickly ask them to leave.

MSC has different "experiences" Bella is the basic room, a good value if you don't need a lot of add-ons. Currently, Fantastica comes with 12 drink vouchers per person (except babies), better room location, and room service included. Although rumor is, after March 2019, the drink vouchers are no longer available. Aurea includes the best room locations; some with unique features like a whirlpool on the balcony or an aft wrap balcony; classic drink package, two spa treatments, and more. When booking we opted for the Fantastica package because we aren't huge drinkers and we are okay with a regular room. We were in room 11209. About four rooms away from the elevators and two rooms from one of the fancy Aurea whirlpool suites. My husband, at one point, asked why I didn't book us in one of those! I had debated it at one point but decided to save the extra money and go with the Fantastica package and room.

What I liked

The room was just the right size for us. About the same as a regular balcony room on any other cruise line we've experienced.

The sofa can turn in to a bunk bed with two beds. We didn't use it as such because we only needed one bed space. Our younger son slept in the pack n play they provided.

The curtains by the balcony were very thick, which helped keep the room nice and dark for nap time. It also helped my family sleep in every morning! Win!

Child lock on the balcony that was above my own head. So unless your child is Spidergirl or Spiderman, they won't be able to undo the child lock!​

Our particular room was classified as ambulatory accessible. There were no handrails or anything extra that made it seem more accessible than a normal room. But we did have a doorbell. That was kinda nice! There was an orange light on our ceiling that would light up, followed by a ding.

The drink vouchers were nice. My husband and I received 12 each that were good for any drink under $8 in value. Alcohol or not. My five year old received the equivalent 12 coupon vouchers but non-alcoholic version. The baby, at 15 months, did not receive vouchers. They were also able to be used on gelato.

What could be improved

Storage was tighter than normal. The closet was small, but it accommodated everything for my husband and myself. The only drawers were located IN the closet, nothing under the desk like on other lines. We knew about this going into the trip, so I brought heavy-duty magnet hooks and a hanging closet organizer. We kept the boys' clothes in there. This one was nice because it had the days of the week and even a few side pockets for underwear and socks!

The setup of our room had the bed right next to the closet which made getting into the closet difficult. Not impossible though. We had to sit on the bed to access the hanging section.

No built-in divider curtain. Some cruise lines have a divider curtain in rooms that accommodate more than two people. Fear not, I had my hand dandy travel shower curtain. Paired with a few more heavy duty magnet hooks and we had the divider set so the kids could nap and sleep while we watched some TV.

The giant pack n play. Like seriously giant! My five-year-old fit in it with extra room. I don't know if they just make them bigger in Italy or what?!? It was Chicco brand. Clean and new. It even came with a nice thick pad for the bottom to make it comfier. But keep this in mind because for those of you who typically bring your own crib/pack n play sheets. They won't fit this thing! It definitely took up any/all of the floor space between the sofabed and desk!

None of these are deal breakers for me. As you can see I arrived prepared for the situation and we made it work. It was just a cozy week sailing the Caribbean ;)

This is where I am going to get excited! The Seaside had tons of delicious snack options around. I am still dreaming about some of these things that I indulged in last week. Most of the treats are Venchi brand and chocolate. SO if chocolate is not your thing, you can skim this post. If you're from or have visited; Chicago, New York, or Boston, you may have heard of them. Venchi was founded in Italy in 1878 and more likely to be found in Europe!

Venchi Crepes

Let's start with my favorite item from the week. My Venchi crepe. The crepes are located in the South Beach pool area on deck 7, aft. This particular Venchi shop had the crepes and gelato. Sadly, I only ventured off to this place on the second to last night. Had I found it earlier in the week I probably would have packed on a few extra pounds. This crepe was delicious! I ordered one with just gianduja (think of Italian Nutella). I had planned to go back and order one with bananas the following night but never got around to it. They are custom made, fresh for you each time one is ordered. It was delightful. Mine had cooled a bit before ate it. We walked to the main Venchi shop so that my friend and my husband could get their specialty coffees. It was room temperature, but still amazing. I would imagine one that was still warm would be heavenly.

Venchi Specialty Coffees

The main Venchi shop, on deck six just beyond the main atrium, is where it's at. They make everything from specialty coffees, specialty liquor drinks, and more. All involving CHOCOLATE! I'm fairly certain that we went here every single night of the cruise after dinner. The drinks were delicious. From thick, I mean seriously thick, bordering on pudding, creamy hot chocolate. Marocchino Specials, Chocolate Martinis. And more. However, the service at this location was not good. They made many mistakes and then when asked to be corrected, many guests were argued with. By the manager to boot. Not only did we experience this, but my friends did one of my neighbors who also sailed and other random guests that I witnessed. Yikes! That being said. It didn't keep me away. I still went back every day. Keep in mind that these drinks are extra charges unless you have coffee vouchers or the Premium add on drink package.

Venchi Cioccogelateria

AKA The Chocolate & Gelato place. Same location as the coffee bar. They have a case full of freshly made chocolate treats. Sorry I didn't take a close up. I enjoyed the dark chocolate bricks with hazelnuts inside. My husband liked the milk chocolate version. My five-year-old, he liked the Tiramisu chocolates. My one year old had his first taste of chocolate on this trip. Not sure how much he consumed because it was all over him at one point. We reloaded our chocolate stash daily. We'd eat what we bought; then I'd go for a chocolate run during nap time. My family would wake up happy with fresh chocolates awaiting them. I was way more interested in the chocolates than the Gelato. For some reason, I am not a big gelato fan. I love ice cream, but gelato just doesn't hit the spot for me. It was good gelato, and my friend and her son had it daily. They loved it. Each location varied in the flavors that they carried, so sometimes you had to gelato hop around the ship to find the specialty flavors. * These are an extra charge. Its based on weight, but I would say it averaged out to $1.50-$2 per chocolate. Not cheap. BUT we were on vacation and that's when we tend to splurge!

I will discuss the dining venues we went to here. This will not include the yummy, scrumptious crepes, gelato, and chocolate. That will come later!

Buffet Dining

The Seaside is unique in that it has TWO buffets. The smaller, family friendly one, is Biscayne Bay Buffet on deck 16. The larger, more robust, location was the Marketplace on deck 8. We ate all of our breakfasts, 6/7 lunches, and 1 dinner at the buffets. There are times that half of the Marketplace buffet is closed at night and used as a Main Dining Room with table service. We usually chose the closer buffet- except breakfasts were always at Marketplace for us due to wider variety.Pros

Wide variety of foods despite what I had read in previous reviews. There was something for everyone. Pizza was served at every meal- breakfast lunch, and dinner. Breads were freshly baked daily.

Full sized high chairs available with a tray. They are the Chicco Polly highchair line. They were always clean and available.

Bar Service button at each table along with a bar in the marketplace buffet.

We never struggled to find a table. Marketplace, on deck 8, has plenty of outdoor seating. We had great weather and took advantage a few times!

Biscayne Bay Buffet had a low counter for kids to get their own food from. It was chest height for my 5 year old.

Cons

Deciding which buffet to eat at.

Crowds. We found the Biscayne Bay buffet to be much more crowded. It was smaller to begin with and near the Miami Beach Pool, so naturally people head there because it's close to the outdoor activities. The layout led to a lot of squished moments where there wasn't quite enough room for everyone to squeeze through while walking.

Main Dining Room

This is one of the hits and misses of the cruise- food is subjective. The food itself was good. I consider myself a picky eater and found at least 1-2 entrees each night that satisfied my liking. There was only ONE dish that did not taste right, and that was the French Onion Soup. It was missing something, and I could not pin point it. There were a lot of misses on the desserts too. Their features Brownie stack was dry and lacked a good chocolate flavor. It also changed nightly. By the end of the week it was missing the brownie portion and only had mousse on top. haha Thankfully we waltzed on over the Venchi after dinner, daily, and loaded up on gelato, chocolates, and more!

We requested early dining and were assigned 7:45 pm in the Ipanema dining room. We went to the Maitre D on the first day to request to be moved. 7:45 pm is too late for us to eat with young kids. There were many other people waiting to request the same thing. The couple we traveled with was able to get us accommodated at the 5:30/6pm time. Yay, great relief! Night one we had an amazing waiter who anticipated our every need and brought the boys food and desserts that kept them behaving. Nights 2-5 we had a waiter who needed more training. Night 6, the guy was on top of things, and the Maitre D even brought the boys dinners out quickly for us. Night 7, we were squeezed in last minute, and the guy was in a rush. So not our best dining "experience" on a cruise by far.

Butcher's Cut Steakhouse

My husband and I had lunch at the steakhouse on a sea day. The food was delicious and flavorful. They offer two types of butter, one smoked and another sweet with spices. With the yummy butters, you're also given a soft cloth basket of bread. Four large breadstick style and one sweet biscuit. Those were pretty good, but I would have liked a soft bread to better spread my yummy butter!

We both had the Smoked Tomato Soup. It came with a small grilled cheese for dipping. We both also had the Filet and a side of Smoked Mashed Potatoes. The steaks are served with four sauces: chimichurri, bearnaise, peppercorn, and something with mushrooms. I blocked the last one out because I don't do mushrooms ;)

Overall it was a fabulous meal. Relaxing. Service was great. I highly recommend it!

Happy Dinners need to be signed up for in advance, but daily. It does fill up!

The kids club is located on the same deck as the Forest Aquaventure Park, we'll call it kid-central!

Each child gets a red-silicone bracelet with a circular chip inside. This is used to scan in and out of the club, it also indicates muster station on the side, as well as GPS capability if you choose to pay for it. You have to return the chip on the last day before debarkation, before 4pm to prevent being charged for the chip.​

To use the GPS locator embedded within the kid bracelet, you pay $18 for the duration of the cruise. It was not free.

Mini Club (ages 3-6)

The Mini Club room is Lego themed. I was unable to get a photo because on day one they were doing a charity event closed to the public and after that, they did not allow parents back into the age group rooms. The kids club doesn't stay in there all day. There are various times in the day in which the kids were all over the ship. Dance parties in the garage club, soccer clinics on the basketball court, etc. We arrived one night to be told that the kids were down in the atrium. They had plenty of staff, but it seemed pretty easy to slip away with a kid in these locations. One night we picked him up from the Garage Club and no one stopped us from taking him. I am a rule follower, so I found the lady with the laptop to properly sign him out, but no one would have stopped me if I just left with him that night.

Baby Care

We used Baby Care every night except the first night. This was the first ship I'd been on that provided it for free! Disney and Royal Caribbean charge per hour for this service. So having it provided was a nice touch. We sent our little guy on about half the days for lunch so we could use the waterslides together as a family, he's too small for the waterslides obviously.... We also had a steakhouse lunch one day, so we sent him then. It was good for exactly what we needed- lunch and dinner. The catch to it being free is that they don't change diapers, give bottles, cups, or food/snacks even if I sent it. Interestingly, someone else on the same cruise reported that the staff fed the baby snacks that she brought... There goes the inconsistency again...

We were given a phone for them to reach us should something happen to our son. They called us nearly every time that he was crying. He's been in ship nurseries in the past, and this didn't happen. I don't know if it's his age or what.

The girl who was there each time would hold him until we got there to keep him calm, which was nice.

Happy Dinners

We signed our older son up for Happy Dinners on 5 of the seven nights. He's not a great eater, to begin with, so the dining room would be torture for him. He's better off eating in a social setting with other kids. So we sent him there. They had themed nights. Dinner was at 7 pm, which I found to be late for young kids. One night was a Hamburger party that I recall off the top of my head. But they served pizza, chicken fingers, french fries, and hamburgers to the kids. It's a cruise; I am not looking for my kid to have a plate full of vegetables. Each night we'd ask what he ate, and he would reply with "French Fries!" One night we picked them up from the buffet on deck 16- Biscayne Bay Buffet. It was closed to the public, so that was nice. They just had the kids in there. We saw trays of french fries! I can only assume it was the aftermath because they were passing out ice cream at that time.

We had an issue on Day 2. I had asked to sign my older son up for the Happy Dinners; the DoReMi staff member told me to come back at 5 pm to sign up. At 5 pm I showed up and was told it was full. I explained that the woman from earlier told me to come back at 5 pm. The lady in charge then argued with me that no one told me that and I was, essentially, making it up. I eventually got it resolved, and my son ate dinner with the club. We had another issue later in the week concerning dining, but it was basically another argument with the staff at the kids club.

We're baaaaack! We just sailed on the brand new MSC Seaside. MSC has been around for many years as a shipping company, and now a cruise line as well. They recently decided to break in to the U.S. market a little more with a ship specifically designed to sail from Miami year round. I wanted to be one of the first on this state of the art new ship. It debuted in December, so I gave it 3 months to warm up to the "American" clientele. Before my cruise, reviews online were hit and miss. Everything from extreme disappointment to falling in love with the ship. It was shocking to read reviews of such disparity I know most people are wondering, how did it go? Would you go again?​ My answer is: we had fun. I would go again in the future as long as a few things change. Below is my "short" review. In the coming days, maybe weeks- depends on how busy I am, I will go through each category in separate blog posts.

Food

My husband said it was the best food he's had on a cruise that he can remember. I am a picky eater and found something every night that satisfied me. The breads are all fresh baked onboard and delicious. Butter was readily available despite earlier reports of "Buttergate" flying around social media. Pizza is also made fresh in pizza ovens a few minutes before it hits your mouth. It beats Princess pizza, which is pretty darn good! There are 4 Venchi Gelato shops onboard. Some just have gelato, others have yummy crepes, fresh made chocolate, and even coffee! We ate at Butcher's Cut Steakhouse and our meal was fabulous. Overall the food was a win for me.

Venchi Crepe

Stateroom

We had a Fantastica Balcony, basically a standard balcony for this ship. Aurea and Bella balcony rooms are the same size. It was a little tight, but that's because it had a smaller than average closet. Plus the pack n play they provided was massive. Like, so big that my 5 year old fit in it with extra room! I guess Chicco makes bigger ones in Italy? I loved the curtains. Super thick, which kept the light out, which made my family sleep in! <3 The bed was better than the ones on Harmony back in December. I liked the glass shower door opposed to curtains that some older ships have. The room was alright overall. Not better nor worse than past cruises unless you need tons of storage space.

Ship

The ship itself was beautiful. A lot of shiny metals, Swarovski Crystal steps, and more. Everything was clean. The elevator doors were mirrored metal and very rarely did I see finger prints. I saw crew members wiping and cleaning 24/7. There were definitely some design and layout issues though. There was a large round stage-like thing next to the Miami Beach pool that essentially blocked the big screen and stage where day time events occurred. I felt like I had to constantly zig-zag around the ship due to areas not open to the public or that did not allow direct pass throughs. Sometimes I had to go up and over a deck to get to something on the other side. Not a deal breaker, but annoying to say the least.

Swarovski steps on MSC Seaside

Pools & Slides

The ship has three "public" pools. South Beach pool was adults only. Miami Beach pool was on deck 16 and was the "main" pool. The Jungle Pool was the magrodome/ enclosed pool. Deck chairs filled up quickly as they don't have a rule against chair hogs. So basically everyone woke up at the crack of dawn to reserve chairs. Pools were all very deep, 6 feet. So hard for smaller kids to really enjoy them. There was also the Yacht Club pool, exclusive to the Yacht Club guests.

The Forest Aquaventure Park was great. My older son loved it. Even my husband and I had fun on the features. There are 4 water slides, two mini slides within the splash area, and lots of water canons. It was closed on the final sea day due to water splashing in to the elevators nearby (another design flaw!) But overall the Aquaventure Park was another win for my family!

Entertainment

There was a different show every night. Which was nice. People could pick based on the type of shows that they wanted to see. There were three show times each night. Problem was, the descriptions did not fit the shows whatsoever! We saw two shows, the one on the 2nd night was The Dream. It was exactly like a dream. A lot of random things put together. The talent of the performers was impressive. The costumes were interesting at times and the acts ranged from funny, to "what was that", to unique talent. Overall I left entertained from that show. My friend and I were cracking up laughing at a few parts.

We also went to My Life in Music. My baby ended up getting sick during the show and we all took that as our cue to leave. It just wasn't our thing and so that was a blessing in disguise. I really wanted to see the Wizard, Perter Punk, and Timeless but never got around to it unfortunately.

Doremiland (Kids Club)

My son and his friend with the Doremi mascot.

This left me disappointed. I had high hopes for the kids club. Lego themed, it sounded like a perfect fit for my 5 year old. But sadly it just didn't live up to the hype. We were given wrong information on day two which turned in to an issue with the kids club staff that night. We also had a few safety/security concerns. This was one of the first cruises in which I had to beg my son to go (we wanted a few adult-only dinners). My 1 year old also used the nursery, which was nice, but not quite as good as Disney and Royal Caribbean's nursery program.

​I will go in to more detail in my specific blog post about the kids club later.

Service

This is where the whole cruise can be made. Service is where it's at. Especially in the U.S. People expect certain things.

The best way I can describe the service on this ship was 50% friendly, warm, amazing staff/crew. The first night we had an awesome waiter who anticipated our every need. He was amazing, but we never had him again. The guy running the arcade was uber-nice to us.

The other 50% consisted of crew/staff that didn't know the answers to questions, but still answered anyway and crew/staff who flat out argued when they were wrong. It was frustrating at times to deal with because you never knew if the information was correct. Here are a few examples from the chocolate shop:My friend and I ordered two identical coffee-chocolate drinks but specifically asked (multiple times) for one of them to be decaf. When the order was presented, she asked which is decaf. The manager was the one serving and turned to ask the guy who made them. He said they were both regular. My friend reiterated that she asked for decaf. The manager rolled her eyes and acted as though we were being unreasonable. Another friend also ordered coffee/chocolate drinks and were given drinks without the coffee. It was rather obvious based on the volume and consistency in the cup. The same manager, but this was on a different day, argued with them about it. Finally it was remade and it was the way it should have been initially.

I think service is something that can easily be improved upon and I will be sharing my experience with the higher ups in the company to help them provide a better experience to guests onboard. I had 8 other families, booked through me, traveling on the same cruise. So I was concerned that my own people were able to enjoy their trip.

Labadee is a little slice of heaven in the Caribbean! Situated on the northern coast of Haiti, this is not a private island, but a small area of leased land exclusive to guests of Royal Caribbean and Celebrity cruises. This beach paradise has grown over the years. Once a tender port, it is now fully accessible by a pier constructed back in 2009. The longest zip-line over water is located here. At 2,600 feet long, it's breathtaking! There is also a roller coaster, water slide, splash park for the kids, water park, and more. This was my 3rd time visiting and we chose to rent a Beach Bungalow for the day. In the past we've just walked around or rode the roller coaster. Recently, they've added a boat that takes you from the pier to by the water slide and water park, which cuts down on some walking time. So we gave that a try this time. As for heading back to the ship, we hopped on the tram that runs from right next to the Columbus Beach food area to a 2 minute walk to security checkpoints.

Beach Bungalow

When I was looking over the options for Labadee, on the Royal Caribbean site, I came across Beach Bungalows. Priced at $200 for the entire day; they include six large Evian bottles of water, two padded loungers, an L-shaped couch, sun protection, wind protection, two beach floats, six towels, and two cabana boys! There are only nine bungalows, and they are located at Columbus Beach, so they sell out quickly. Columbus beach, btw, has very few rocks, so it's one of the best beaches at Labadee. the only drawback is that it's the farthest point from the ship. There were six of us, four adults and two kids. We were given VIP bracelets that allowed the staff to keep track of who belonged there and who didn't. I felt like this bungalow made our day enjoyable and manageable with a baby. We had shade so that no one would get burnt. We had ample fresh, cold, water in a cooler. We didn't have to fight for seats at lunch table. We had floats available to use throughout the day. The cabana boys went to the bar for us. If you have a baby or young kids, this is money well spent!

We didn't do everything on this particular trip, but here are some photos of the other options on the island!

Random Shots of Labadee

So, this won't be a complete list of things to pack, you'd tune out far too soon if I did that. This is my list of things to bring that not everyone might think of plus some notes on the usual items that families might throw in the bag.

Umbrella Stroller

A good umbrella stroller is helpful, especially on larger ships. Harmony of the Seas is a big freakin ship, and if I knew we'd be out for a while without a seat in sight, we brought the stroller out from the room. An umbrella stroller is best because it's lightweight, fits through the narrow doorways, and folds up out of sight in the room. I've relied on a Chicco Liteway (or the Plus version) for most of my cruises. It's my everyday stroller too! We kept it by the door and just moved it out of the way as needed. By the end of the week, my one year old figured out how to push it against the door to grab the handle and looked like he was trying to escape!

Baby Carrier

Why am I telling people to bring a stroller AND baby carrier? I don't always babywear, but when I do.... Oh no, wait- that's a different commercial! There are some situations in which I find it to be useful. Like, when I need two hands or when my almost five-year-old steals the stroller seat! I am a fan of my Baby Tula, but you can use whatever contraption that is most comfortable for your body. It's all about comfort here. Baby wearing is also helpful when you're over the battle of getting into an elevator. I just pop up or down the stairs while wearing the little guy and I get to my destination sans aggravation and with a few minutes to spare. I would evaluate where we were going to determine if I should wear him or push him!

Portable Tub

I've also been recommending portable tubs since my very first baby cruise, back in December of 2013. They can be used as a tub within the shower for little ones who aren't accustomed to water falling on their heads. They can also double as a splash pool for use on ships that do not have a diaper friendly pool area. Now, most suites come with tubs and some regular rooms on lines like Carnival and Disney also have them too, but you'll need a savvy travel agent to help you locate which rooms those are and which ships have diaper friendly areas by the pool ;)

This Summer Infant collapsible tub fits nicely in the shower and there is no inflating necessary!

Crib Sheet

If you plan to have a crib or pack n play in the room, I recommend bringing a sheet from home. The smells and sights of familiarity will help shorten the adjustment to sleeping in a different space. All cruise lines will provide sheets for the crib, but they aren't crib sheets, they are regular sheets just tucked under the "mattress". On the last night of our most recent cruise, the baby was tangled in the sheets because they weren't fitted. I had thrown our crib sheet in my luggage that final night thinking the regular sheets would be okay. I woke up at 2 am to a crying ghost! Yeah, he was THAT tangled. Poor kid! Some cruise lines have cribs (Carnival), and others have the pack n play style (Royal). I ended up bringing a regular crib sheet even though I knew we'd have a pack n play in the room. As long as it's small enough and fitted, you can avoid the tangle!

Shower Curtain

If you've never read my blogs before... You are probably thinking, "huh?" Yes, I said to bring a shower curtain and some magnetic hooks. The ceiling is magnetic, and you can create a little barrier once your little one goes down to sleep. You can then watch TV, go out on the balcony (if you have one), and do more without completely disturbing your sleeping angel! I've been doing it since my oldest was one and it's worked perfectly! The rust & green colored curtain behind my older son in these photos has been on TEN cruises... So we've had plenty of use out of it, and it's worked like a charm each time. I recommend a dark color and thick fabric to help block light.

Liquid Formula

If you're breastfeeding, you can skip this part because you are your own portable milk maker! Yay! However, if your child is on formula, I recommend taking the Ready to Feed (already mixed) type in the bottles closest to your baby's serving size. We brought 8-ounce bottles (yeah, 24 of those bottles) in a small carry on suitcase that my older son pulled for us. It seemed like a pain to bring an entire extra bag but having pre-mixed formula to pour into a bottle or cup was convenient. I didn't have to worry about finding drinkable water; I always had a perfect bottle at the ready. Not to mention, at the end of the week we had an empty piece of luggage where we could throw all the stuff we picked up along the way!

Character Appearances

Every day there are characters scheduled to appear at various points on the ship. Most of the time, they are in the Promenade by the car. Sometimes they are located on the Boardwalk! We were able to catch Poppy & Branch from the Trolls, Fiona, Puss in Boots, and the Penguins of Madagascar! We missed appearances by Po, Shrek, Kitty Softpaws, Alex the Lion, King Julien, Gloria (Madagascar) and more. As you can see, there are a lot of characters to meet onboard if you choose to. They appear multiple times throughout the week, so if you miss one, chances are you can see them again later during the cruise.

Character Breakfast

There is an organized event that occurs on a few mornings throughout the cruise. Children are free, and adults are $10. It's the same menu that you can get in the regular Main Dining Room, but renamed for the characters.

There are typically three characters that come out, and it varies with each breakfast. We had Po and Tigress from Kung Fu Panda (something my son doesn't watch) and Puss in Boots (who we had already met earlier in the week). So it wasn't as exciting for our son as we had hoped! It was still worth it, and the kids in attendance had a lot of fun!

A nice improvement, since the last time we did a character breakfast in 2012, is that they give the kids a sticker when it's their turn to meet the characters. This helped control the flow of people, and no one rushed up to them!

Open Play

An area unique to the Oasis Class (Oasis, Allure, Harmony, Symphony) ships is the open play area in the center of the Adventure Ocean facility. This space has toys, both large and small, for children six months to 6 years. My kids used this a few times on the cruise. It's a nice option if your child wants to play inside, rather than in the sun/rain. It is unsupervised, so you need to remain there with the child(ren), and socks need to be worn, no shoes! My big guy kept playing with the giant Legos, and my little one was fascinated with the slide as you can see in the final picture on the right (below) ;) The hours are 9 am-10 pm, so it's a nice chunk of the day that the kids can use it.

AquaNauts

Aquanauts is the room for kids ages 3-5. My older son was part of this group during our trip. ​He went each night for Adventure Dining (5-7pm). We dropped him off at the room before 5 pm and they took the kids up to the Windjammer Buffet and served pizza, chicken nuggets, and french fries. While repetitive, this works for MOST kids. It worked for him until the final night when he said: "I don't want to eat the same thing again!"

From 7 pm-10 pm he attended the evening sessions back in the Aquanauts room with organized activities. If you check out my other post about Adventure Ocean, I have scanned and posted each day's events for all Adventure Ocean groups. Not just Aquanauts. He had a lot of fun. They had everything from Circus school, face painting, hero capes, science experiments, art projects and more.

In the Adventure Ocean complex there are a few specialty rooms as well. They have a full Science Lab and Art Studio, as well as a theater for their black-light puppet show and movie screenings. This is, by far, the most exciting kids club I've ever seen on a ship!

Royal Babies & Tots

Our, almost, one year old went to the Royal Babies & Tots Nursery on every night. Sometimes we sent him during dinner, and we always sent him while we went to shows. The remaining time on the cruise he was with us. Cost is $6 an hour before 6 pm and $8 an hour after 6 pm. The nursery bill was the biggest chunk of our onboard charges. However, having some kid-free time on vacation was a nice touch.

We've used the nursery onboard a few other Royal Caribbean and Disney cruises in the past. On this trip, I wasn't overly impressed, but they kept the kids safe and happy. That's the main point. Is it the ideal environment I would want my kid in back home for daycare? No. They seemed to be overwhelmed with the number of kids. They maxed out at eight babies at a time, but when four cried at once, I can understand the challenge. There were a few extreme criers that did make it challenging for the nursery workers. We saw a lot of the babies in their strollers in front of the TV while the women were tending to the kids who needed attention.

​ My younger son went nightly, so he was always asleep 30 minutes after dropping him off. They kept him in his stroller for sleeping, which made getting him back to the room a snap! On the two occasions we sent him before dinner, they had me answer questions about what he could eat, and they fed him shredded chicken, mashed potatoes, and carrots. They changed diapers, gave bottles, and did their best to ensure that each child was safe and happy. I will use the service again on our next Royal cruise (right now that's next December on the Independence)

Author

Hi! I am Nicole Perry, owner of Sunkissed Adventures.

My original career was in the field of education. I have a Bachelors degree in Elementary Education and a Masters in Teaching & Learning. After teaching for 6 years I felt the urge to feed my wandering soul with something more adventurous, and so I started Sunkissed Adventures. Four years later I left teaching and took Sunkissed Adventures full time! You won't find grammatical correctness in this blog. It's informal. Off the cuff. Take what you need and skip what you don't!

I grew up in South Florida, but spent my summers traveling with my parents to far away lands and on educational adventures. With my parents' influence, I became enamored with the world around me. They showed me other cultures and provided me with the inspiration to see the entire globe. And so here I am today, planning trips of a life time for others! I can be found on some online chat websites under the name Sunkissed Mommy!